According to astronomers the red ball sun is only medium-sized. Among stars it is unimpressive yet to our planet it brings life. It’s a standard arrangement, in Hatiya, in Bangladeshi villages, the central courtyard area of dirt surrounded by several modest houses of wood and tin or thatch. There are the mud verandas the women have patiently patted into place at the front of each house, where the roofs overhang the building; and the small windows of carpenter’s hands with frames that aren’t entirely square and shutters that don’t absolutely meet. There are trees including coconut palms and bananas in the patch of ground carved out away from the road amongst the rice fields. It’s typical, the household where Nobir and his extended family live. In the evenings when the hurricanes are turned down in each ... read more

And…rolling! They barely touched in the days of Twinkle Khanna’s debut, the hero and the heroine, as they sang and danced and sensually raised eyes to one another on their way through their love story. Even with machine guns while fighting the bad guys on the roof of a moving train there was time to dance. For the most part the choreography stemmed from the little yellow flowers in the sublime fields of the rolling hills which were otherwise not part of the setting. Heroines wore full saris back then; it was before the cost cutting on cloth. Cut! Scene two: for young western backpackers in Rajasthan a tour could not be complete without a visit to a cinema hall. There should be an introduction with at least one Kajol or Madhuri Dixit figure. Fades out… ... read more

'Tell me why are we, so blind to see, that the ones we hurt, are you and me’ - from the song ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ by Coolio CNGs, four-wheel drives, pick-up drop-off cars, dogs, pedestrians, the tempos-of-death stopping suddenly, randomly and askew, and the seemingly out of control buses are there to dodge like bullets. Leaping over the median strip like a cheetah, slithering by the edge of the fence that’s proudly sponsored by a local bank like a boa constrictor, there’s the menace of the mega-conglomeration of choking smoking motorised mayhem once more to brave, on the far side. The trials that need to be overcome for a few groceries! The Bronx, Harlem or Dhanmondi: yo! We’re brothers living in the ’hood. The tea stall guy is on the corner. ‘You close up,’ I threaten him, ... read more

I can’t say I’m much of a hijacker, which in Dhaka means mugger.To the best of my recollection I did it only once, making a pistol with my fingers. I can’t look much like a hijacker either, assuming hijackers have a look, since even after demanding the money I had to announce what I was doing. But once the activity was established, my chosen victim reached into his pocket without hesitation and pushed a wad of change into my pistol cum hand. With chaotic Dhaka for a backdrop sometimes it’s the little instances of sweet madness that give so much sanity. For example: me and Karim. He was really rather innocent when he first came to the city, the doorman with the great misfortune of having been assigned to work on my building. He had all ... read more